Cardiff City celebrate promotion to Premiership

Cardiff City fans are celebrating the club winning promotion to the Premier League.

It came exactly 53 years to the day Cardiff last won promotion to football's top tier but a first since the Premier League came into being.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said promotion was fantastic news for Cardiff City and for Welsh football.

"The club and its supporters have been through some testing times in recent years but this season Malky and the team have done a great job of keeping their heads and getting results and with this promotion. They have made the city truly proud," said Mr Jones.

"This achievement will place Cardiff on the world stage, with visiting supporters bringing vast economic benefits to the city.

Inside the Cardiff City Stadium there was an expectant but nervous atmosphere throughout most of the game.

Thousands of fans who had seen their team go so close so many times were aware that City had a painful habit of stumbling.

But as word spread around the ground that Watford were losing, supporters got to their feet, finally convinced that this would be the night.

When the final whistle blew the stadium erupted and thousands of fans poured onto the pitch.

Grown men cried and hugged each other at the realisation that a dream had come true.

It also means that next season two of the Premier League's 20 clubs will be Welsh.

Malaysian-owned Cardiff were last promoted to the old First Division of the Football League exactly 53 years earlier, on 16 April 1960.

South Wales Central AM and leader of the Conservatives in the assembly Andrew RT Davies said: "Cardiff have had a fantastic season and I am overjoyed that promotion has now been secured."

Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle, the party's spokesperson on sport, said: "This is great news for Wales for we will have two teams in the top division for the first time in history. I'm sure fans of Cardiff City and Swansea City are looking forward to renewing their passionate rivalry."